Wiring device



`gime i6, 1936. A E, GRAN-|- 2,044,290

WIRING DEVICE Enea Aug. 16, 1934 INVENTOR Patented June 16, 1936 WIRINGDEVICE Albert E. Gra-nt, New York, N. Y., assignor to Raylite Trading`Co. Inc., New York, N. Y.

Application August 16, 1934, serial N0. '140,043

1 Claim.

My invention relates to wiring devices and a principal object of myinvention is to provide an improved lamp socket of efficient andeco-nomical construction which may be more conveniently connected ordisconnected from its supporting fixture.

Another principal object is to provide a device of this character havinga plurality of separable casing portions of insulating material andimproved means for securely holding the portions in assembled relation,said means comprising interlocking conducting parts entirely housedwithin the casing.

A further object is to provide an improved lamp socket which may besecurely attached to a wire carrying xture and which may be electricallyconnected without a surplusage of wire such as might result in shortingthe electric circuit, and other and further objects will appear from thefollowing specification.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical elevation of a lamp socket embodying my improvedfeatures of construction.

Figure 2 is a sectional View taken on line 2 2 of Figure 1, showing theconducting parts of the device connected and interlocked.

Figure 3 is a similar section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an inverted plan View of the device.

Figure 5 is a vertical section taken on line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a similar section taken on line 6-6 of Figure 2.

Figure 7 is a section taken on line 1 1 of Figure 3, illustrating thecatch employed for holding the portions in their interlocked relation,and

Figure 8 is a sectional View similar to Figure 2 illustrating thepositions of the conductor members when they are unconnected and thecasing portions are in separable relation.

The casing for the device is made of insulating composition, such ashard rubber, and comprises a cap portion I0 and a body portion ll. Thecap portion is provided with a downwardly extending circumferentialflange l2 which ts over the side walls of the body portion and has acentral opening therein at I3, the walls of which are threaded so thatthe cap may be secured to a standard wire carrying xture. On oppositeinner sides of the cap its walls are formed to provide buttresses I0-||lwhich are recessed at Ill-I4 to receive the conducting lugs Iii-I6 andthe ends of binding screws Iii-I5. The binding screws are threaded intothe conducting lugs lS-li, respectively, which, in turn, are secured tothe cap by means of drive screws l'I-I'I. The conductors I 5 are ofresilientconducting metal and extend arcuately and in a substantiallylateral plane, as shown.

The body portion il is cylindrical and is partitioned by a wall i8 whichdivides it into two chambers, an upper chamber i9 and a lower chamber20. Housed in the lower chamber and lining the interior walls thereof isa threaded contact 2l adapted to receive a lamp or a male threaded plug.The contact 2i has an integral flange 22 whereby it is riveted to thewall I 8. The riveting is accomplished by means of an eyelet 23, made ofconducting metal, which also secures a conductor strip 25 to thepartition wall in. the upper chamber. The conductor 25 is of reducedwidth adjacent its ends and is bent to extend thru a key-shaped slot 24formed in the chamber wall. It extends above the top of the body portionand is inwardly bent adjacent its upper free end to provide an integralange 26 adapted to slide over and frictionally engage one of the lugconductors i6.

Diametrically opposite the flange 22, the upper edge of the threadedcontact shell is cut away to accommodate a rectangular bead 2 embossedon the under side of the partition Wall. This bead serves to supplementthe eyelet 23 in holding the threaded contact in position and surroundsa contact 28 which is secured to the partition by means of an eyelet 3l.This eyelet extends thru the partition and also secures a conductor 32in the upper chamber to the partition wall. The conductor 32 is in allrespects similar to the conductor 25, is similarly retained in a slot 24of the casing wall and is bent inwardly at its top to provide a ange 26'for engaging one of the lug conductors I6.

As best shown in Figure 7, a chamber 35 is moulded integral with thewall of the upper chamber and the upper edge of the body portion isnotched or cut away to provide a rectangular opening 36 in communicationwith the chamber 35. A spring catch 31 comprising a single corrugatedstrip of resilient metal is inserted in the chamber 35 and is outwardlybent adjacent its upper end to extend thru the opening 36. The flange I2of the cap is also notched or cut away in register with the opening 36whereby the cap is engaged by the projecting end of the spring catch toprevent the cap from being accidentally turned relative to the bodyportion, as when a lamp or plug is being screwed or unscrewed inrelation to the socket.

To connect the device in relation to a standard xture, the cap is firstremoved from the body portion. This is accomplished by pressing theexposed end of the catch downwardly until it is clear of the cap flangeI2, as indicated in broken lines in Figure '7, and then turning the capand body portions of the casing relative to each other until the anges26 and 26 are disengaged from the respective conductors l5, the casingportions being then separated.

The current carrying wires are then drawn thru the central opening inthe cap and the cap is threaded onto the xture. The ends ofthe Wires arethereupon rmly connected tothe binding screws in the usual manner. Itshould be noted here that no surplusage of wire is requiredl to effectthe connection and the possibility of short circuit from such cause isthereby eliminated. After the wiring has been completed, the upper endof the body portion is reinserted in the cap with the conductorspositioned as shown in Figure 8 and the casing portions are turnedrelativeto each other to connect and interlock the conductors of therespective portions, whereupon the spring catch will again snap into thenotched portion of the cap.

In this manner and by these means the portions are firmly interlockedand secured in assembled relation and a positive electrical connectionis effected between the binding terminals and the respective contacts 2|and 30.

It will be noted that the upper chamber of the body portion issubstantially void and is well adapted to house a switch mechanism ifdesired.

Having thus described my invention, I claim A lamp socket scomprising abody'portion of moulded insulating material formed with a partitionbetween its ends to provide an upper and lower chamber, the upperchamber having vertically extending slots formed in the side wall of thebody portion, conductors of sheet metal riveted to said partitionV andextending therefrom thru said slots and having their upper ends bent toextend laterally; a cap of insulating material -having conductors xed onits inner wall and bent laterally to engage and interlock with the 20 YALBERT E. GRANT.

